


I wished for you

by JadeNightTheWriter



Category: Keeper of the Lost Cities Series - Shannon Messenger
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, KotLC Gift Exchange, One Shot, POV Alternating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-14 23:53:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28554198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JadeNightTheWriter/pseuds/JadeNightTheWriter
Summary: Sophie wakes up to sunlight filtering in between the cracks in her blinds, accompanied by the chirping of her alarm. With a sigh she drags herself out of bed and stretches, and then starts to get ready for her day.Soon, she’s leaving her house, locking the door behind her and magicking a simple protection spell over it. The streets are mostly empty as she hurries towards the shop, snow dusting the ground and drifting from the tree branches.Linh is already at the coffee shop when she arrives, perched on the counter with a spellbook. Sophie waves and earns a smile in response, and the two girls get ready to open the shop.Or: coffee shop magic friends to lovers Solinh.  Gift fic :)
Relationships: Sophie Foster/Linh Song
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	I wished for you

**Author's Note:**

> For @isapizzas on tumblr, sorry that it's late.
> 
> A huge thank you to Akki (akki_the_immortal) for beta-ing this fic for me!
> 
> Happy New Year, everyone!! Enjoy :)

Sophie wakes up to sunlight filtering in between the cracks in her blinds, accompanied by the chirping of her alarm. With a sigh she drags herself out of bed and stretches, and then starts to get ready for her day. 

Soon, she’s leaving her house, locking the door behind her and magicking a simple protection spell over it. The streets are mostly empty as she hurries towards the shop, snow dusting the ground and drifting from the tree branches. 

Linh is already at the coffee shop when she arrives, perched on the counter with a spellbook. Sophie waves and earns a smile in response, and the two girls get ready to open the shop. 

“Did you sleep okay?” Linh asks, spraying the plants and glancing over her shoulder at Sophie.

Sophie shrugs, “I had to stay up late studying, but it was fine.” 

“You need some rest,” Linh says, frowning. “I’ll take the orders for the morning shift. You go rest in the back room.” 

Sophie starts to protest, but falls silent as Linh turns to face her, hands on her hips. 

“Nope,” she says firmly. “The exams are in two days, you still need help with history, and Fitz and Dex are here today. We’ll manage without you for a few hours.” 

“Just for a little bit,” Sophie relents. The _for you_ goes unsaid, and Sophie hopes Linh doesn’t catch it.

Apparently she doesn’t, which is adorable and a huge relief. Sophie watches the other girl flit around the shop, wiping down the tables with a wave of her hand and piling the washcloths in a neat corner. When she’s done with that, she ties on her apron and starts checking through the ingredients. 

Sophie tries not to get distracted with how cute she looks.

She mostly fails. 

**~≈💠≈~**

Linh likes working at the Black Swan. The shop is fairly small, with plants everywhere and large windows, and the smell of magic mingles with coffee and sugar. She also likes seeing Sophie, but really, that part doesn’t matter.

Linh shakes off her thoughts and distracts herself with writing down a shopping list. A quick glance at the clock tells her it’s almost time to open the shop, so she places the paper to the side and goes to unlock the door. A burst of cold air greets her when she opens it, along with a shout and a wave from across the street. 

She looks up and smiles when she catches sight of Fitz and Dex, hurrying toward her. 

“Hey Linh,” Dex says, grinning back at her. 

“You’re late,” she teases them, stepping back to let them in the shop. “Sophie stayed up late last night, so I told her to rest for a bit.”

“Of course she did,” Fitz said, rolling his eyes fondly. “She has no self-preservation instincts at all.” 

Sophie overhears them and starts to protest, causing Linh to laugh. 

The three of them slip into their roles with a practiced ease, setting up ingredients and waiting for people to come in. Linh watches a bright red bird fly by outside the window, and smiles. 

**~≈💠≈~**

“So, any progress?” is what Sophie is greeted with after school, when she joins Marella for her second shift of the day. The other girl pauses in organizing the things on the counter, smirking at her. 

Sophie blinks. “What?” 

“You know,” Marella waves a hand, pushing herself up to sit on the counter. “With the whole _Linh thing_.”

“It’s not a _thing_ ,” Sophie squeaks out. “It’s just… stuff, I guess.” 

Marella’s bright smile drops off her face for a moment. “Sophie, you should just _talk_ to her. Then it _would_ be a thing.”

“I don’t—” Sophie starts, but Marella cuts her off. 

“Sophie, hon, if you say you don’t have a crush on Linh I will break something. It’s obvious to anyone—except her apparently—and I swear she likes you back.” 

“You don’t know that,” Sophie grumbles. 

“I _do_ , actually,” Marella argues, but seems to drop the subject. “Fine, but just listen. Talk to her.” 

“I—okay,” Sophie mumbles. “I will. Later.” 

“Good,” Marella says, smiling again, and turns to greet the next customer coming in. 

Sophie tugs out an eyelash, frowning at the ground. She _likes_ Linh, sure, and she knows the other girl likes her back. But not necessarily in that kind of way. 

With a frustrated sigh, Sophie shoves any thoughts of silver-dipped black hair and a bright smile out of her mind, and goes to help Marella. 

**~≈💠≈~**

Linh is busy doing homework when she gets a message from Sophie. She blinks at the summoned bird—a Moonlark—and the tiny scrap of paper it carries. The silver bird chirps at her, and Linh takes the offered note with a smile. 

_Hi Linh!_ it says at the very top in Sophie’s neat, slanted writing, _Can you meet me by the river after the afternoon shift at the Black Swan ends? I want to tell you something. Tell Panakes and she’ll let me know_.

It was signed with a smiley face and a little doodle Sophie liked to draw on the margins of her notebook, a Moonlark with wings spread wide. 

“Tell her I said yes,” Linh says to the bird, after studying the paper with a bemused expression. 

It chirps once in response, before vanishing in a wisp of flower-scented wind. Linh gazes at the empty space where the bird was and wonders. She wonders why Sophie wants to see her as she finishes her assignments. She wonders what was so urgent that she needed a summoning bird, as she locks the door behind her and heads down the street. 

Linh walks over the rooftop pathways, magic keeping blue Balefire flames burning in the lanterns lining it. It’s still bright out, the sun still a ways from sinking below the horizon, and rays of light warm her side despite the cold air. 

Soon, she reaches the river that winds through the small town she lives in. Linh knows exactly the spot Sophie meant—it’s a bench that is close to the riverbank, where Sophie and Linh first met years ago. Sophie isn’t here yet, as far as Linh can tell, so she settles onto the worn, smooth wood and listens to the sound of the river rushing past. 

Some time later, she hears footsteps and turns around to see Sophie, breath coming in clouds in the freezing winter air. The other girl waves and smiles—a touch nervously, Linh thinks.

“Sorry it took me a while,” Sophie says, and holds out a paper cup for Linh. “I brought you hot chocolate though?”

“It’s fine,” Linh says, a little laugh slipping past her lips. She takes the offering and smiles back. “You’re forgiven.” 

Sophie laughs too, and at the beautiful sound Linh thinks, _oh, I am in so much trouble_.  
  


**~≈💠≈~**

Sophie isn’t sure whether she’s glad or terrified that Linh accepted the invitation. She suspects probably a combination of both, and more of the latter. Because Linh is smiling, laughing a little, and the cold air brings a pink hint to her cheeks and all Sophie’s brain can think of is, _she’s so adorable, help_.

“What did you want to tell me?” Linh asks, her voice breaking through Sophie’s mental flailing. 

“Oh, um…” Sophie sits down next to her and tugs on an eyelash. Some part of her wryly guesses that her remaining eyelashes will not enjoy this conversation. 

Linh just watches her, patiently waiting for her to speak, although she looks mildly confused. 

“Okay so,” Sophie blurts out before she can stop herself—Marella will kill her if she backs out now, and so will she. “I, um… I think I like you?” 

Linh blinks. 

“Okay well not think,” Sophie admits. “I _do_ like you. Like… more-than-friends kind of thing. Like… ugh, you get the idea.” 

Linh stares at her for a little bit, giving Sophie just enough time to think, _that wasn’t too hard_. And just as Sophie’s about to tug on an eyelash instinctively, before she can start to worry, Linh opens her mouth to speak. 

“You… really?” Linh’s voice doesn’t have any skepticism, any pity or disgust. Instead there’s something else coloring her tone, and Sophie doesn’t want to call it hope but it sounds like it. 

“Yes,” Sophie says, and a bit more confidently, “Yes, really.” 

Linh hides her face with her hands, but Sophie is pretty sure she sees a blush forming—although it _could_ just be the cold.

“Oh,” Linh squeaks out from behind her hands. “Um. Me too?” 

_What?_

It’s Sophie’s turn to blush now, because Linh—beautiful, kind, amazing Linh—likes her _too_. She had hoped, and Marella had said, but that was very different from actually hearing it. 

“Oh,” Sophie echoes, for lack of a better thing to say. “So… what now?” 

Linh finally moves her hands to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, and glances at them for a second, seemingly unsure of where to put them, before lacing them together and placing them in her lap, still not meeting Sophie’s eyes. She bites her lip, and then finally looks up. 

“Are we,” she begins, then stops herself and starts again, “Do you want to try dating?” 

“ _Yes_ ,” Sophie answers immediately. “Yes, definitely. I mean, if you do too.” 

“I do,” Linh says, and there’s happiness in her voice and Sophie has never, ever felt this light before. 

**~≈💠≈~**

On the way back to Linh’s apartment, Sophie hesitantly takes Linh’s hand in hers. It’s cold without the protection of her pocket, but Linh doesn’t care because this is the best thing that’s happened to her all week. Quite possibly her entire life, but meeting Sophie and her first day at the Black Swan is still up there. 

Sophie hums an unfamiliar tune under her breath as they walk, either a song or a magic chant, and Linh holds her hand a little tighter. 

This… whatever it is is still awkward, stutters and blushes and nervous glances, and Linh hopes it’ll last long enough to become normal. She’s not sure she’ll ever be able to understand how Sophie likes _her_ , but she wants to. She wants to keep holding Sophie’s hand, she wants to hear Sophie laugh and see her blush. 

Linh hopes Sophie does too. 

They pause in front of her door, and Sophie turns to her, still holding her hand.

“Can we… do you want to meet up tomorrow? We can go to the Sanctuary after school, and maybe get something to eat later?”

“Okay,” Linh agrees readily, unable to keep the wide smile off her face. “That sounds wonderful.”

“Great!” Sophie says, releasing her hand. Linh knows it’s irrational, but she misses the touch already.

“I’ll meet you after school at the river?” she asks instead.

Sophie nods. “I’ll see you there! Bye!”

Linh waves after her until she vanishes into the distance. Snow is falling again, and she feels cold for the first time. Shivering, Linh steps into her house and closes the door behind her. 

She turns on a lamp and sheds her coat, hanging it up in the closet. Her pale blue scarf is placed neatly on the table to dry, followed by her hat and gloves. After taking off her shoes, Linh makes her way over to a window, gazing outside at the twilight filled with drifting snowflakes. 

In the darkening sky, a white streak catches her attention. A shooting star. 

Linh already knows what her wish is going to be. 

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you thought!


End file.
